Packaging container

ABSTRACT

A packaging container having upper and lower parts and a sleeve surrounding the lower part to add strength thereto in which the two parts have outward flanges joined or sealed together to form the container, the inner diameter of the sealed portions of the flanges being substantially the same as the outer diameter of the sleeve so that the sealed portions when folded down over the top edge of the sleeve form a U-shaped channel for receiving the sleeve.

United States Patent [151 3,666,163 Ignell 1 May 30, 1972 54] PACKAGING CONTAINER 3,434,644 3/1969 Collie ..215/1.5 x 3,129,867 4/1964 Schroeder ..229/l4 [72] Invenmr- Swede" 3,357,626 12/1967 Carpenter et al. 229/14 [73] Assignee: Sobrefina SA, Fribourg, Switzerland Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, Jr. [22] filed: 1970 Assistant Examiner-Michael Y. Mar [21] AppL No: 13,651 AttorneyPierce,Scheffler&Parker [57] ABSTRACT [10 F i A ll ti Pri ri Data 1 on gn pp ca on o ty A packaging container having upper and lower parts and a Mar. 20, 1969 Sweden ..3866/69 sleeve surrounding the lower part to add strength thereto in which the two parts have outward flanges joined or sealed [52] U.S.Cl ..229/14 B, 156/227,215/1.5 together to form the container, the inner diameter of the [51] Int. Cl ..B65d 5/56 sealed portions of the flanges being substantially the same as [58] Field of Search... ....229/l4 R, 5.6, 14 B; 156/227; the outer diameter of the sleeve so that the sealed portions 215/l.5 when folded down over the top edge of the sleeve form a U- shaped channel for receiving the sleeve. 56 R f Cited 1 e 2 Claims, 3 Drawing figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,487,989 1/1970 7 Rausing et a]. 229/14 This invention relates to a packaging container of the kind that consists of an inner container comprising two parts joined to one another along flanges, and an outer sleeve which surrounds one of the said parts and also has one of its ends abutting or close to the underside of the flange of the said container part surrounded by the sleeve.

It is known to produce bottle-shaped packaging containers, preferably for liquids under pressure such as beer and aerated drinks, by combining a relatively thin inner plastic container with an outer mechanically stiff sleeve that surrounds the essential parts of the inner plastic container, the sleeve being intended to take up the stresses in the wall material of the inner container which emanate from the liquid under pressure inside it. By making the inner container of two parts, namely a conical or spherical top part and a bottom part consisting of a cylindrical portion and a curved, preferably spherical, end portion, only the said cylindrical portion of the bottom part will have to be supported by the outer sleeve, since, for geometrical reasons, the tensile stresses in the top part and the curved end portion will be appreciably lower than the tensile stresses that would arise in the cylindrical portion of the bottom part if this were not supported by the surrounding sleeve. In known packaging containers, the top and bottom parts are joined to one another along ring-shaped flanges situated at the free end of the cylindrical portion and at the base of the conical top part respectively. It is best to join the flanges to one another by welding, which is easily accomplished if the parts of the inner container consist of a thermoplastic material such as polyvinyl chloride. In order to affix the inner container to the outer sleeve, the sealing flange, formed when the said ringshaped flanges are welded together, which projects beyond the edge of the sleeve and is still warm, is folded down over the outside of the sleeve. It has been found however that it is just this folding-down operation which is difficult to carry out in such a way that there will be a secure connection between the inner container and the sleeve. In order to obtain such a connection, it is naturally best to fold down the sealing flange over the outer edge of the sleeve as a first stage, in order to form in this way a U-shaped channel which can house the edge of the sleeve, and then to press in the folded-down flange towards the outside of the sleeve. It has been found however in known packaging containers that it is not such a U-shaped channel that is formed when the flange is folded down, but that the upper edge of the sleeve is deformed instead in such a way that, instead of a U-shaped channel, there is formed an almost V-shaped one in which the end of the sleeve is accommodated.

The above drawbacks, which result in a relatively insecure connection between the inner container and the outer sleeve, are avoided by means of the packaging container in accordance with the invention which is characterized by the flange of the part of the container surrounded by the sleeve having an inner diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the flange of the free part of the container while the outer diameter of the flange of the two parts of the container is the same, the flanges of the container parts being joined to one another over an area which is largely the same as the area of the flange on the free part of the container which faces the flange of that part of the container which is surrounded by the sleeve; and by the flange portions which are joined to one another being folded down against the outside of the sleeve so as to form a ring-shaped U-shaped channel which accommodates the end of the sleeve.

The invention will be described below with reference to the attached diagrammatic drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows a packaging container in accordance with the invention before the flanges joined to one another have been folded down,

FIG. 2 shows the same package after the flanges have been folded down, and

FIG. 3 shows a packaging container in accordance with this invention with the top shaped in a somewhat different way.

FIG. 1 shows a packaging container consisting of an inner container 1 and an outer sleeve 5. The inner container 1 consists of two parts, namely a top part 3 and a bottom part 2 which are each fitted with sealing flanges 8 and 9 respectively. It is best to make the inner container 1 of a plastic material that is capable of being heat sealed, such as polyvinyl chloride,

and parts 3 and 2 are best formed by means of vacuumforming I or deep-drawing a plastic film heated to its softening temperature. The top part 3, in addition to the flange 8, is provided with an opening 4 which is intended to be closed by means of a closure device after the packaging container has been filled. The sleeve 5 is drawn onto the bottom part 2 of the inner container l in such a way that a close fit is obtained between the inside of the sleeve 5 and the cylindrical portion 2 of the bottom part of the inner container 1. The sleeve 5 is drawn up onto the said cylindrical portion 2 so far that the upper end 6 of the sleeve 5 reaches the underside 7 of the flange 9.

In order to affix the inner container 1 to the sleeve 5, the flanges 8 and 9 which are joined to one another are folded down against the outside of the sleeve. By virtue of the fact that that part of the flanges 8 and 9 along which they are joined to one another is appreciably stiffer than the parts which are not joined together, the flange will fold along a line which represents the inner boundary of the seal between the flanges 8 and 9. If therefore the flanges are joined to one another in the way shown in FIG. 1, the joined-up sealing flanges will fold along a line which approximately corresponds to the outer circumference of the sleeve 5, and there will be formed in this way, as shown in FIG. 2, a U-shaped channel in which the upper part 6 of the sleeve 5 is accommodated.

As will be seen in FIG. 2, the inner diameter of the base of the conical top part is larger than the diameter of the inner container. This is certainly no disadvantage from the practical point of view, but it is naturally possible if so desired to modify the shape of the top part 3 in such a way that the top part is given a more acute cone angle and the base of the cone is at the same time enlarged 11. It is naturally possible to give the top part 3 any shaped desired, but in cases when the contents are a liquid under pressure, it is best for reasons of strength considerations to give the top part 3 the shape of a cone or a hemisphere.

In the constructional version shown and described here, flanges 8 and 9 have been shaped in such a way that the inside diameter of the flange 9 is about the same as the inside diameter of the sleeve 5, and the inside diameter of the flange 8 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the sleeve 5. Since the joined-up flanges 9 and 8 are to be folded down against the outside of the sleeve 5, the outer diameter of the flanges must naturally be larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve 5. It is naturally also possible to make both flanges 9 and 8 with an inside diameter that is largely the same as the inside diameter of the sleeve 5 and to seal flanges 9 and 8 to one another only over an area whose inner boundary corresponds to the outer diameter of the sleeve 5, but we have found that the best results are obtained if the flanges are constructed as shown and described in the constructional version above.

I claim:

1. A packaging container comprising an upper part and a lower part, each part being provided with outwardly extending flanges joined together to form a container and a sleeve member surrounding the lower part, the upper edge of said sleeve being adjacent the joined flanges, said flanges having substantially the same outer diameter, the flange of the lower part of the container having an inner diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of said sleeve and the flange of the upper part of the container having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of said sleeve, said joined portions of the flanges being folded downwardly around the outside of said sleeve to form a U-shaped channel for receiving the top edge portion of said sleeve.

2. A packaging container is claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper part of the container is conical and the lower part of the container is cylindrical. 

1. A packaging container comprising an upper part and a lower part, each part being provided with outwardly extending flanges joined together to form a container and a sleeve member surrounding the lower part, the upper edge of said sleeve being adjacent the joined flanges, said flanges having substantially the same outer diameter, the flange of the lower part of the container having an inner diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of said sleeve and the flange of the upper part of the container having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of said sleeve, said joined portions of the flanges being folded downwardly around the outside of said sleeve to form a U-shaped channel for receiving the top edge portion of said sleeve.
 2. A packaging container is claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper part of the container is conical and the lower part of the container is cylindrical. 